First Dynamo Operational at Wujiangdu Power Plant

One of two added dynamos, installed at the Wujiangdu Power Plant in southwest China's Guizhou Province and designed for a massive electricity transfer project, began commercial operation on Thursday after a 72-hour trial.

One of two added dynamos, installed at the Wujiangdu Power Plant in southwest China's Guizhou Province and designed for a massive electricity transfer project, began commercial operation on Thursday after a 72-hour trial.

China is undertaking the milestone project to produce more clean hydroelectricity in its waterpower-rich west, and transmit it to the power-starved east, where the booming economy is making power consumption skyrocket.

The operational dynamo of the Wujiangdu Power Plant is the first of its kind in this project to produce power, according to Dai Shaoliang, chairman of the plant.

The Wujiangdu Power Plant was built in 1970, with a total capacity of 630,000 kilowatts from three generators. To supply more power from the west to the east, the plant launched an expansion project in November 2000.

Involving a total investment of 833 million yuan (about 100 million US dollars) the expansion project is expected to add 500,000 kilowatts to the plant's capacity, from two newly installed 250,000-kilowatt dynamos.

The plant is also planning to increase the total capacity of the previous three generators, each having a capacity of 210,000 kilowatts, by 120,000 kilowatts through technological renovation. That will make the plant the first in Guizhou with a capacity of over 1 million kilowatts, according to the chairman.

The province is expected to have a total of 2.54 million kilowatts of increased capacity from power generation projects being built province-wide before the end of the year.